Fears COVIDSafe app not working as intended

Queensland's health minister says the much-hyped COVIDSafe app "is not working as intended", as the federal government urged more people to download it.

9News can reveal the app has not helped state health departments identify any extra contacts that state "trace detectives" hadn't already identified.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters, "there haven't been new contacts identified through use of the COVID-19 app".

The state has seen a spike in coronavirus cases and community transmission.

But health authorities have only been able to access information from the apps of 30 cases out of 568 since the app was launched at the end of April.

New South Wales health officials have accessed information from the app of 10 COVID-19 patients in that same time.

State health officials say the need for the app has been reduced saying cases have been in hotel quarantine or the patients have accurate memories of who they have been in contact with.

Professor Sutton said it was "encouraging that people who are identifying their contacts can remember everyone they've been in contact with for 15 minutes or more."

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said the app "was not working as intended" because not enough people had downloaded it, wanting to see an 80-90 percent uptake.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt urges Australians to add to the 6.44 million downloads to date.

"It will help protect you, it will help protect your family," he said.

But he would not be drawn of remarks by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who told the UK Parliament, "It would be great to have an app but no country currently has a functioning track and trace app."

Mr Hunt said, "I can't speak to those comments."

The federal government says the app works and will be more beneficial as restrictions are eased and more people are in closer contact.